Monday Mini Reviews - July 6

Sorry for the late post, I had a dentist appointment today. *Shudder*

Inferno by Dante Alighieri - 4.5/5 Doves
This is the story of a man's journey through Hell to eventually reach Heaven. I absolutely loved this book. Dante had a great imagination and gives us very vivid descriptions of the nine circles of Hell. His descriptions allowed readers to picture exactly what he was describing. The only downfall of this story, is that it is heavy on Italian history. Many of the things he mentions would've been recognized by his audience, but modern Americans require footnotes to get even a little bit of understanding. There is also the heavy influence of Christianity which can distract from the piece. Highly recommended!


And Then There Were Two by Jude Mason - 3/5 Doves
And interesting Sci-Fi/Fantasy short. It was a pretty good beginning, but the way it ends leaves me with more questions than answers. This probably would've been good as a full novella or novel, but as it is now, it's an incomplete story. The story has no real beginning, middle and end. Rather, it only has a middle.



Spoils of War by Aleksandr Voinov and Raev Gray - 4/5 Doves
After Achilleus, the legendary Greek warrior, falls in battle, Ares comes to collect his soul. I really enjoyed this book. Voinov and Gray did a great job with the descriptions. I wish the piece had been longer, since it only took me about twenty minutes to read it. Definitely recommend for those M/M lovers with an interested in Ancient Greece or Rome.

Monday Mini Reviews - June 28

Hey guys! I'm sorry for the lack of content lately. Real life has gotten in the way once again. I'm going to try and get everything back on track this week, I promise.

Congrats to Harper Bell who won the giveaway for Anne Brooke's Martin and the Wolf! Also congrats to Tracy who won Heidi Cullinan's Miles and the Magic Flute! Keep your eyes open for another giveaway tomorrow!

And finally, on to our mini reviews!


Neighbors by Victor J. Banis - 3.5/5 Doves
A cute story about a woman who wants to get to know her lesbian neighbor. There wasn't very much plot to the story, but it was a good relaxing read. It felt more like a glimpse into a person's life than an actual story. A well written story and great for those times when you just want a quick, simple read.





Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin - 3.5/5 Doves
A literary story about an African American man who tries to understand his younger brother. I enjoyed reading the story of the two brothers and reading about them trying to understand each other. The story really makes you think about things like drug abuse, African American culture and even Jazz music.




Dead Man Rising by Lilith Saintcrow - 4/5 Doves
The second book in Saintcrow's Dante Valentine series. I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first, but I still enjoyed it. The first half of the story was a little boring and I kept setting the book down and taking a break from it. But the second half more than makes up for it. The second half is full of action and keeps you wanting more.




The Devil's Right Hand by Lilith Saintcrow - 3/5 Doves
This is the third book in the Dante Valentine series. I didn't much like this one compared to the others. It felt like Danny was whining the majority of the time - either about how she was going to turn back into a human, how she was lied to, or how she felt used by the Devil. Not much really happened in this book which really bugged me. The first two had clear plots that were finished by the end of the book, but this one had you going "Okay… where's the rest of the story?"

Monday Mini Reviews

Here is the first installment of our Monday Mini Reviews!

Keeping Promise Rock by Amy Lane - 5/5 Stars
One word: Amazing. I loved the detail Lane put into this work. Her characters felt like they were real people and I really cared about them. Each one had their own unique personality, too. I love how we got to see their relationship evolve from childhood through adulthood. Lane even brought me to tears a couple times. Highly Recommended.



Rough Ride by Carol Lynne - 4/5 Stars
This was a pretty good story. It wasn't great, but it had a good mix of plot/sex. It was also fairly angst free. If you've liked the earlier Cattle Valley books, you'll probably like this one too.





Play On by J.M. Synder - 3/5 Stars
I think this is the worst of her Playing the Field books yet. I didn't much care for any of these characters, and the way they spoke annoyed me to no end. Her characters felt extremely shallow, immature and uneducated through out the piece. There's not much going on is this story besides non-stop sex.